It’s hardly the ideal scenario as they prepare to take on the powerful Pool Two leaders.

“We are up against it, we understand that,” said Humphreys.

“It’s not often we go into games as underdogs, but we are going in there as massive underdogs and if I was Toulouse I would be really looking forward to us coming.

“We understand the situation we are in.

“It would be an unbelievable performance with this group of boys to do what we need to do out there.

“Ninety odd per cent of teams that go there find it real difficult.

“To win out there, we’ve got to play the best any Ospreys team has ever played.”

Their task hasn’t been made any easier by the limited preparation time they’ve had, as they look to bed in their returning Wales players.

Yet, while recognising the problems they have been handed and the scale of the challenge, Humphreys insists his players will give it their all.

“When you lose the majority of your pack over the course of the autumn internationals and you have only a couple of sessions to prepare, of course it’s not ideal,” he said.

“We always knew it would be a challenge, going out to face the greatest European team, who boast a vast amount of resources and have had more time to prepare to play against us, at a time when we have injuries.

“But there’s unbelievable spirit within this group.

“We are going to Toulouse and we have got to give it as much as we can.

“The injured players are stacking out our physio room, but we are blessed with the character of the people who are coming back, guys like Justin Tipuric and Ryan Jones.

“The Welsh boys want to come back and they want to play for us, regardless of whether Wales are playing well.

“After Wales won the Grand Slam, the boys wanted to come back and play. It shows some things are right here.”

The former Wales skipper admits there is no margin for error now, with the Ospreys having lost at Welford Road against Leicester in their second group match after kicking off with a home win over Treviso.

“We need to win all four remaining games,” he said.

“It’s a pool where you can only afford to drop one game.

“I don’t think there will be two qualifiers from this group.”

Toulouse lead the pool by three points after victories over Leicester and Treviso, while they lie second behind Toulon in the French Top 14, with nine wins from their 12 league matches.

Their squad is as jaw-dropping as ever, with the likes of Luke McAlister, Thierry Dusautoir, Census Johnston, Louis Picamoles, Yannick Nyanga, Gurthro Steenkamp, Vincent Clerc, Luke Burgess, Yannick Jauzion and Maxime Medard figuring among a stellar League of Nations.

Wales outside-half Dan Biggar has been passed fit to start after being rated an injury doubt.

Biggar suffered a shoulder injury playing for Wales against Samoa and was an unused replacement against Australia last weekend.

The Ospreys signed former All Blacks tighthead prop Campbell Johnstone because of injuries to Adam Jones, Jarvis and Joe Rees.

And Johnstone is catapulted straight into the Ospreys line-up against Toulouse.

Wales back-rower Jonathan Thomas is also missing from an Ospreys side who will have three Heineken Cup debutants in full-back Ross Jones, hooker Scott Baldwin and second-row James King.

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